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Nolon Lovecraft §
"They who deny me deceive themselves." Biography Nolon Lovecraft is new head of a family property he only recently married into. He lives at Greystone Manor on the Lovecraft Plantation, twenty miles outside of Rike nestled between rolling hills to the north-east, and jungle canopy to the south-west. Often disguised when in public, he takes the form of many humans whenever the theatrics are appropriate, usually of a similar look to his original form. Nolon is a man surrounded in secrecy, living in lust, and operates with tyranny towards all but his family of allies whom with he shares common ground. As a vampire and a cult master, he has followers and worshipers alike of the occultist, would-be vampiric, and hypnotic/coerced victim variety. He is charm, magic, evil, blood, death, fear, captivation, hubris, and of the knowledge of the aeons. The ruby is a valued symbol in his house, and the house crest reflects this, though it serves a secret dual meaning. Fine paintings signed under the name Nolon Lovecraft can be found in some galleries around Rike, but that's about as much public exposure as the man has. He likes spending his free time furthering his practice with the occult, also training his pet hounds and captive people alike who were unfortunate enough to come across his demented 'family', known only as Sigil Seven. Sigil Seven Introduction People haven't quite caught on about the sudden disappearances of travelers in the countryside surrounding Rike. No doubt the locals blame it on bandits, as the city is notorious for thievery and lawlessness even without the help of this cult. But that wouldn't explain the small village who's inhabitants were struck by a mysterious disease, causing all there to die slowly. So what's going on in the woods around Rike? This is the story about a 'family' of seven who reside there. Few know of seven bastards that give meaning to the name Sigil Seven, but some are familiar with at least one or another batch of their work. Bloodied and flayed bodies strewn up across the grounds and trees left to rot and fester with maggots would strike terror into the hearts of those unfortunate enough to comes across their work. Or perhaps the bloodied grounds where bodies once stood, when footprints and signs of struggle litter the ground and no witness is left alive to recount the tale. Regardless, whatever is left in the wake of their wrath, there always follows the calling-card symbol; "§". But what is more gruesome then their work is the make of their souls. For there are those who kill for money, those who kill for duty, but then there are those who kill for darker reasons. Some of these degenerates come together for sport, killing others as a way to prove themselves to their gods, or improve their technique. Others still kill to satisfy a dark hunger, or to fuel some dark ritual magics that most sane people would seek to purge from this world had they known it existed. Occult practices mystify their brutal atrocities, as if kidnapping, torture, brainwashing, cannibalism, murder, skinning, and reanimation weren't taboo enough to condemn them beyond the range and reach of salvation. There are seven tenets, seven guiding principles that bind Sigil Seven and their strange family dynamic, but The Seven Realities Seven is privy only to its members. Pray you never find out about them, or stumble upon the Lovecraft Plantation, for by then it may be too late. Lovecraft Plantation On the far north eastern coast of the continent, shrouded in thick jungle tree top hugging the coastline is the City of Rike. There just a two hours horse ride off a beaten path lies House Lovecraft - a small estate ground that runs one of the more modest plantations - far enough from the center of any trade, culture, or civilization. There are a variety of alchemical reagents and spell components grown here among gardens and farmlands, and the estate operation has made a profit selling them, making it one of the more respectable herbalist operations for Rike. This location and a pleasant history of goods provided allows House Lovecraft to operate with a modicum of autonomy. At one point years ago, even some of the nobility among Rike itself deferred to the chemical expertise of the former man of the house, which at the time was enough to finance the birth of this operation. Unskilled laborers till the lands surrounding the center of the property where a lavish fourty-room two-story mansion resides, with pillars archways and walls all of stone a particular shiny sheen of grey that credits it noteworthy. The stink of the rangelands is far enough away to avoid soiling the air, as is the same with the stables which features six horses and a carriage. Between the mansion and a tenement to house the serfs here are a few wooden structures and fortifications are set up around a grotto and courtyard, with a few groupings of cut-throat characters there loitering around. A watchtower and a granary are not far off from this framework, where they are kept under guard. Friends & Enemies Friends Asgaul the Faceless After having exercised his usual precaution - waiting for the home owners to be asleep and unguarded with no company - Nolon enters a small farming home outside of Rike to continue his work, taking his time. A family of four is held captive for this process, but he doesn't realize that there's another person in the house to witness this; the daughter. This girl manages to escape while Nolon was distracted with his work. Tapping into his Occult practices, he appeals to the esoteric knowledges for an answer on how to keep his secret. The name Asgaul comes up, and Nolon soon finds The Hell Shack; a room covered in "trophies" and fine special leatherwork also in the outskirts of Rike. Guided further in by screams Nolon makes his way to the basement only to see the witness having already been dealt with, and then some. After Asgaul was done doing his deed, he saw Nolon and quickly moves to continue his work, until whispers from Norgorber stopped him in his tracks, telling him to assist Nolon. Norgorber - who has been known to aid those who do not support his ideals as long as the end-result is to his benefit - believes partnering is a good way to maximize the trade these men both share. Nolon offers to make it up to the man for unwittingly solving his problem by sharing the family of four still tied up at the house. The bodies they broke that day laid the foundation of their friendship to come, and once their business was squared and even, Nolon mentions the potential for more prosperous opportunities in the near future concerning certain ambitions, and offers for the man to join him with the promise of wealth, success, and a fulfilled divine calling. Harleen, a whole lot of Crazy and a whole lot of Pretty A yellow haired girl came skipping through the woods, and happened upon the plantation quite by chance. Right away, Nolon and Wylliam knew that this girl was different. Where others avoided the six attack hounds that patrol the property, she thought they were cute. Where others ran from them, she elected to train them. So when Nolon visited her in her room one day to see her digging through animal entrails one day, he wasn't too surprised. The animal sacrifice was in homage to her god, but Nolon showed her how to use extispicy to read the future in her gods own manner. Since then she's opened up to the occult, and earned trust among the group by participating in a variety of villainous mayhem and bedlam, and even moved in as a full time resident, as one of the family. She is quick to anger, and has a hammer large enough to warrant staying on her good side. Wylliam the Mad Scientist The occult is a doorway to many paths most don't tread, but in the beginning of his wanderings around 996, Nolon's pursuit of occult lore would happen upon one named Wylliam. Though only an initiate himself, it was a rare thing it to meet another practitioner. Their chance meeting would happen in a little town outside of Haven, where wanted posters described a serial grave robber, and rumors spoke of corpses sometimes later found among strange ritual. Nolon could tell right away that the trappings of these rituals were occult in nature, and immediately took note. Tapping into occult skills, Nolon pursued the grave robber, and when he did find the culprit he saw a passionate young man inclined towards a relatable pursuit of knowledge with a curious child-like mentality to motivate his pursuits; a mentality that lends itself to oversight, a mentality that would benefit from parental guidance. He commended him for his efforts but warned him of the bounty, then offered to help him complete his research. From that day forward Wylliam was no longer alone, they would pursue occult knowledge and overcome obstacle together. Their shared efforts proved a bonding experience that would cultivate a father-son dynamic. In time their powers grew, and all that was left was to use them. Kintural the Bloodshaper Five years ago, Kintural and Nolon both toiled the same crops for the lord of their nameless village outside of Luperion. Over time the two co-workers became friends, and it was the clear choice when Nolon's corruption manifested to inform Kin as the two had already earned a mutual trust through the trade they plied. With new power came new ambitions, and when Nolon decided he had outgrown the little village he had always knew as home, he offered to take Kin with him in pursuit of developing this new power. Together they would unlock the secrets of the occult, and through their travels over the next five years they grew confident in their abilities and in eachother, enough so to a point where before the turn of the new millennia, Nolon invited Kin to continue their work together and participate in the most ambitious scheme yet. Jo'el Werbenjagermanjensen the Void Wizard Midway through Nolon's vagrant wanderings he came upon the city of Anvildor, here to investigate local rumors of the occult-fabled ruin of Vilverin, said to contain a library with surviving ancient text of primordial magic, a library which just might by some miracle contain the ancient wisdom that is the Akashic Account. There in the city, over supper at a tavern, he happened to meet The Void Wizard. The two casually struck up conversation and discovered that they had a lot in common; both distinguished scholars on the chase for knowledge and power, both with a strange practice of magic, and with beliefs and ideals concerning higher ambitions. While Nolon stayed in the city hunting down rumors, they met in private several more times over the course of a week to enjoy wine and conversation, and developed/established a mutual appreciation. When Nolon eventually felt confident enough in this new budding friendship, he revealed his intentions to investigate the ruin linked to his occult research where a library may be found. In his many pursuits, The Void Wizard had yet to penetrate the murky surface of the occult, and took not only an interest, but also wanted to see this library for himself. Nolon had knowledge of the ritual to unlock the ruin, but Jo'el possessed the skill to see it done. Together they were able to locate Vilviren, and to this day Nolon keeps the Akashic Account to study until one day he can decipher in totality its riddles. Traversing this ruin with all its magic traps and occult riddles ended up demonstrating a mutual trust in one another, as without one the other surely would not have succeeded in making it to the library. With a victorious momentum, Nolon continued on with his travels with The Void Wizard joining him, for the promise of more scholarly pursuit of the occult. Lila 'Rose' Lovecraft ( http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/npc-classes/expert/ ) About the only thing she has going for her anymore is her family name and beauty. The youngest daughter of the Lovecraft family enjoyed an innocent life ignorant of the ugliness of the real world, sheltered in her family's wealth and care. But in the grief of her family's sudden death she suffered horrible depression, and allowed the infrastructure and name of her family house to spoil. A naturally naive Lila stood no chance when bewitched by Nolon's supernatural allure, who seemed to step into the equation at her most vulnerable. Today she is scarcely seen, and when she is it is almost always in the company of Nolon as a puppet-bureaucrat in his entourage. Her now soulless eyes have completely lost the happy spark of life that once personified this yellow-haired, happy young girl, and little is left to suggests she has any personality left of her own at all, beyond how Nolon pulls the strings. Enemies Everyone History For two decades the Lovecraft family knew peace and prosperity as they practiced their herbalist trade. As one of the few small hamlets that sends their crop for trade to the city of Rike, their modest plantation has brought the family the comforts of success, while their distance from the capital has always warranted a degree of freedom and autonomy. The original family members were a bright-minded bunch of academics, scientifically minded with an affinity for economics and chemistry. Barely a new moon ago in the year 999, there happened a catastrophe that would introduce a strange new character to the scene. A sudden tragedy saw all but the youngest daughter survive to keep the family name alive. In the grief of this young Lovecraft girl, the family infrastructure began to decline as a myriad of would-be suitors and bureaucrats swarmed in like vultures to flense the fat from the family fortune. Nearly all had already been lost when she declared an intended; an upstart vagrant with no claim to any authority asides from the young girl's heart. This was the first anyone had ever heard of Nolon Lovecraft. The details of his past life are quite inconsequential. His father was a relentlessly self-improving plebeian from Luperion with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for misogyny. His mother was a 15 year old peasant prostitute with no wit. His father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse society of being lazy - the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess in their insane lament. His childhood was typical: summers tilling farms or picking crops for the lord of his home village, drawing detailed art and reading grand tales in books to escape a dismal monotony in what free time he could find. In the spring they would visit the local fair after helping to seed the lords farms. When he was insolent he was placed in a burlap sack and beaten with with sticks; pretty standard really. At the age of twelve his father died of an easily treatable illness, lacking the money to pay for medicine. At the age of fourteen his mother perished similarly. For the next ten years he's been nothing more than an indentured serf on the lords land tilling. (TY Dr. Evil) As of late, not much is known about Nolon. All if any reports are measured in speculation. Dating back five years ago, some may claim to have since seen him across all of the major cities, always traveling, never settling down, and often somehow associated with the occult. What then happened to only now provoke an average man to take action; to propel himself beyond his previous pauper status by finding favor with the last remaining Lovecraft? A certain subtle sense of the macabre that surrounds the man, along with brazen eccentricities and the occasional threatening aura has dismissed much questioning. He is however frequently referred to among those mockers who know him as The Vagrant Lord, or The Pauper Prince, to spite his new name. Still, eventually, vagrant wanderings must have came to an end - likely due from some new and curious higher calling or purpose - and he's met with much success. Today his sudden good rapport with the lady of the house has earned him a comfortable life by taking the girl to wife, and the name Lovecraft along with it. A farming serf no longer, now he manages the plantation operation, and the legitimacy of the Lovecraft name as Lord of the house, as best as an upstart can. Appearance & Personality Nolon Lovecraft appears human, a man generally received in reds and blacks, wearing expensive and gaudy tailored clothes that brag the latest trending fashions of the noble courts around Rike under a studded leather black coat with an angelskin lining. He rarely seen without the hood of his coat donned, often smiling beneath the veil provided with piercing amber bright eyes. He often adorns himself in jewels, especially a particular brooch and signet ring of sapphire which both bare the same house symbol (shown above in the image in the biography). Often a cracked magenta stone floats and circles around his head at a distance of a few feet. He carries no weapon, but he seems armed all the same. His short black hair is always kept neatly combed in a crew cut, and fine facial features are fairly more attractive than that of an average human, and suit his distinguished demeanor. He carries himself similarly with calculated movements when he can't avoid remaining still, often one hand in the other palms up. His personality reflects whatever company he keeps at the time. His life as a practitioner of an unpopular and potentially malicious practice has given him an uncanny knack for avoiding detection. His true alignment is obscured but truly evil if discovered, and his aura reflects this; as it exudes an aura of grey tendrils which extend out several feet, reaching towards nearby creatures and bringing an oppressive egotism to their surroundings. Publicly, he maintains his privacy; he is a quiet man who is rarely caught speaking, but all the same has a subtle allure and charisma about him. He has almost never been seen leaving the plantation since his arrival, usually only stepping out the doors to step onto the lawn, spending time there with his dogs. The unseen practices and peculiar patterns that provoke this seclusion introduces an occult following that operates beneath the veneer of everyday life; a banal facade merely to pander to the public. He maintains this masquerade even when on his own property, rarely breaking character to preserve healthy public relations. As he possesses unnatural power and carries on with bizarre teachings, an air of paranoia and dread looms around him when at his most honest, to an extent that nearly everyone is an enemy, and no one can be trusted. He's a control freak with only selfish motivations that value his survivability and hedonistic pursuit second to nothing. Creed Beyond the farthest far horizon among the most mysterious teachings of the ancient world lies the mystery of occult practice, an enigmatic principle upon which all speculation is possible, transcending the conventional worship of deities, understanding of planes, and study of the arcane towards something more. Nolon's dogma is steeped in this esoteric lore but still strongly tied to the physical world and its pleasures as a hedonist. Nolon is a strange individual caught between the pleasures of the Material Plane and the eerie truth of the Great Beyond. Consequently, he does not care to concern himself with the awkward fumblings of every day common-folk, nor the narrow-minded views of the predominant faiths. Any effort to manage his public image beyond survival is not an effort he would make. Despite his hedonism, his ultimate personal journey into a more evolved existence is loftier than the baser instincts that drive him, and more self-determined than the proscribed fate of the pious consensus. Occultism encompasses several beliefs in hidden systems that govern reality. According to occult text (multiple excerpts taken from Occult Adventures), the occult is sometimes referred to as the esoteric tradition or the “ancient wisdom,” but the word “occult” refers to that which is hidden or occluded, and it encompasses a wide range of strange disciplines known to only the few. Members of the occult find themselves drawn to the strange and the hidden, caught between the pleasures of the Material Plane, the dark mirror that is the Shadow Plane, the eerie substance of the Ethereal Plane, the primordial Elemental Planes, the opposite Positive and Negative Planes of life and death, and all the places in between within the Astral Plane. The mysteries of the occult remain obscure, and dictate that within the mind of any sentient being lies power to rival that of the greatest magical artifact or holy site. Scholars of occultism believe that while it is appropriate to acknowledge the many planes, demiplanes, and corners of the Inner and Outer Spheres, an occultist would do well to reserve focus towards the Inner Sphere rather than the realms of the deities. They believe their investigations can reveal a hidden truth behind the multiverse, and that mastering the implications of this secret can give an adept power over not just their mortal life, but also life after death. And finally it is believed that over successive cycles of reflection, the complete mastery of body, mind, and soul is possible, and can open up new vistas of consciousness and even a path to immortality. No place or idea is too secret or remote for the occult to access, and through the esoteric secrets, bold seekers of knowledge can bring a candle to light the darkness of the unknown, and begin to unravel that strangest of all riddles: the truth. Delving deeper into the ancient wisdom reveals enticing secrets regarding the nature of existence, and few survive such an experience unchanged. Category:Inactive